An examination by taste is the third stage of the wine-tasting after visual examination and olfactory examination. Tasting confirms what we have understood about the nature of the wine during the first two steps of the wine tasting.

In the mouth, we recognize several basic flavors. The tip of the tongue perceives the sweet side, before recognizing acidity (a slice of lemon for example), the sides on the back of the tongue, salty flavors. Beyond these basic tastes, the tongue perceives certain tactile sensations such as astringency and bitterness. Read the rest of this entry »

Smell is a precious sense, which allows us to discover a wine and which adds greatly to the pleasure of wine tasting. The nose can reveal the characteristics of a wine and help us to better understand it. An olfactory examination by an experienced taster can reveal the region, the varietal, the vintage, etc… But the smell is also and above all a pleasant sensation that makes wine tasting more enjoyable.

To assess a wine, we must first smell the wine without swirling the glass and try to determine what we have smelled (this is referred to as the “first nose”). This reveals the dominant aromas. Then, we will discover the “second nose” with its more complex aromas, gently swirl the glass to oxygenate the wine and then sniff again. Read the rest of this entry »

Observing the color and smelling the bouquet of a wine before putting it into one’s mouth is not a mere ritual. These steps provide the most important information about the wine being tasted. This is the first step in the tasting. This visual examination helps you to learn about the density and age of wine by its color. Read the rest of this entry »

Overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean countryside, the vineyards of Languedoc were the first planted in France around 600 BC. In addition to this long experience, they today constitute the largest wine producing region in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

The Rhone Valley is now the second leading French wine producing region by volume for appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) wines, after Bordeaux. Some wines, like those of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, “have absolutely no rival in the world” as said Robert Parker. If the Rhone Valley is a great wine region, is also here that winegrowing and History have become intimately linked. Read the rest of this entry »

Champagne is so famous throughout the world that we sometimes forget its origin. Of course, as its name suggests, champagne comes only from Champagne…. If Champagne is today the noblest sparkling wine, its history, linked to the monarchy and the history of the city of Rheims, was also the wine of kings. Read the rest of this entry »

Burgundy prides itself on the high quality and finesse of its wines. But the pleasure to be found in a great Burgundy comes at a certain price To the scarcity of Burgundy wines (some growers making only a few dozen cases per year) must be added the complexity of a fragmented region where each lot expresses particular nuances. Read the rest of this entry »

Bordeaux is without a doubt the world’s wine capital. The region’s roads are a succession of castles possessing legendary names. More than anywhere else, here wine is omnipresent, shaping the cities, the region and history. Read the rest of this entry »